Estate Pledge Is Made to St. Mary's Law in Memory of Wanda Mason Wray '77
Warren Kent Wray and Wanda Mason Wray ’77
St. Mary's University School of Law recently received an estate pledge of 22.5 percent from Warren Kent Wray in memory of his late wife, Wanda Mason Wray '77. This gift of $500,000 will help enhance and maintain the Law School Courtroom.
"I am making this gift to ensure that Wanda's memory would live on at her alma mater," Kent says. "Wanda was a highly successful courtroom lawyer. Many of Lubbock's new lawyers would go to court to observe how Wanda handled many of her criminal defense cases. Her experience with the St. Mary's courtroom prepared her for her remarkable career. This gift allows St. Mary's to continue the legacy of training courtroom warriors."
Wanda graduated with her law degree in December 1977 and passed the Texas Bar Exam shortly thereafter. She and her husband, Kent, moved to Lubbock where she opened her private practice. Most of Wanda's legal work included courtroom litigation. During her career, she handled six capital murder cases.
Kent was appointed Dean of Engineering at Ohio University in 1996 and the Wrays moved from Lubbock to Ohio. Wanda's health began to decline and she did not seek to practice law after the moved. Wanda passed away in September 2005.
This gift ensures that Wanda's legacy will live on at the School of Law. The Courtroom is a great teaching tool that allows students to learn to use the technology they will need after they graduate in court. However, as technology is constantly evolving, it is steadily in need of maintenance and upgrades. This gift will help to ensure that some of these upgrades are done quickly.
Kent's gift will be funded through a percentage of his estate.
"Gifts that are a percentage of an estate work for both the donor and St. Mary's Law since they allow the final size of the gift to fit the donor's circumstances," says Joel Lauer, Executive Director of Law School Advancement.
Every Gift Counts
Leaving a percentage of your estate to benefit St. Mary's Law can be an effective way to provide needed to support to us. Contact Joel Lauer at 210-436-3660 to learn more.
Information contained herein was accurate at the time of posting. The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For such advice, please consult an attorney or tax advisor. Figures cited in any examples are for illustrative purposes only. References to tax rates include federal taxes only and are subject to change. State law may further impact your individual results. California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.
